fall in love with learning

Portfolio School is a K-5 independent school in New York City that redefines what is possible in education, actively engaging students in intellectual inquiry and creative design. Immersed in collaborative, interdisciplinary project-based learning, high quality academics, and thoughtful self-reflection, students delve into the sciences and humanities, literature and math, technology and the arts, not just as memorizers, but as thinkers and creators.

Engaging in deep learning with curiosity and passion, Portfolio students develop the abilities, insights, and qualities of character needed to thrive in the ever changing, technological, entrepreneurial and global world which they will inherit.

Our students engage as learners and creators, designing projects that incorporate learning and skills from many different subject areas - Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, the Humanities, Engineering, Technology, and the Arts.

Our students advance at their own pace in English language arts and math utilizing high quality research-based curricula in alignment with International Standards.

Our students delve deeply into experiences that develop self-reflection, empathy, and social emotional skills.

Our students serve as co-designers of learning experiences with their teachers in an environment that honors inquiry, creative problem solving, and students’ interests.

4 predictions for the future of work

"These schools set the stage for what future education will look like. We will rethink the way talent is developed and deployed, and prepare students for a lifetime of learning better paced to the rapid evolution of skills."

"Portfolio School looks and sounds like a Silicon Valley tech firm's rec room—except that almost everyone is under the age of 10. The building's walls double as whiteboards, with nearly every inch covered in colorful, hand-drawn diagrams of constellations and planetary orbits."

The K-12 Classroom Experience in the Age of Personalized Learning

"Portfolio School is at the forefront of this trend; its enterprising young students have reached out to NASA engineers to discuss a unit on Mars, and New York University music education grad students have guided them in producing a soundtrack for their moviemaking project. Schachtel and Habib think that interacting with experts will only become more important in the future, as people must continuously master new technologies and skills throughout their careers. “They're going to have to know how to seek out the right places to educate themselves,” Schachtel said. “They might have to find mentors, and we want them to start getting comfortable with that idea as soon as possible.”

Nancy Otero, Founding Director of Research and Learning Design, put together an awesome partnership with Google. Nancy explains:

“This year we’re collaborating with Google on their educational app Science Journal. Science Journal allows Android and Chromebook users to experiment and engage with the world outside the screen using these devices' onboard sensors (e.g., accelerometer, microphone), as well as with compatible sensors. Recognized educational institutions like San Francisco Exploratorium, Science Buddies, San Jose Tech Museum and Maker Camp have created activities for Middle and High school students to integrate Science Journal into projects. At Portfolio, our children will design the first activities for Elementary school students using Science Journal, and their creations and videos will be featured on Google’s Making Science webpage alongside the activities created by these other educational institutions.”

Are these the schools of the future?

"Imagine a school...where students choose their own curriculum and teachers are more like mentors guiding them through activities and topics of interest. Instead of homework and tests, portfolios and exhibitions would display your films, writing, art, and creations, and you were constantly encouraged to keep doing more."

In October 3 of our students—along with educators Nancy Otero, Founding Director of Research and Learning Design, and Shira Leibowitz, Founding Director of Lower School—presented at the prestigious Stanford FabLearn Conference.

Two important collaborations with NYU and Columbia are now underway at Portfolio. One partnership will give our students the opportunity to apply their learning in music, technology, design, art and science; the other partnership will help our school refine a methodology that is carefully crafted and guided by research.

Tony Wagner, Harvard University:

"Portfolio School is redefining what is possible in K-12 education. By creating an environment not only emphasizing what students know, but more significantly what students can do with what they know, Portfolio is preparing its students to succeed and create a positive impact in the rapidly changing technological, entrepreneurial, and global world they are inheriting."

Tony Wagner, Harvard University:

"Portfolio School is redefining what is possible in K-12 education. By creating an environment not only emphasizing what students know, but more significantly what students can do with what they know, Portfolio is preparing its students to succeed and create a positive impact in the rapidly changing technological, entrepreneurial, and global world they are inheriting."